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A qualitative study exploring patient shadowing as a method to improve patient-centred care: 10 principles for a new gold standard

Joanna Goodrich, Damien Ridge and Tina Cartwright International Journal for Quality in Health Care 11 January 2023

Topics and programmes


In recent years, there has been an increased emphasis on patient experience as a dimension of quality in healthcare and subsequently a drive to understand care from the patient’s perspective. Patient shadowing is an approach that has been used in service improvement projects, but its potential as a quality improvement (QI) method has not been studied in practical and replicable detail.

Objective: This new research aimed to produce clear guidance on patient shadowing for future Quality Improvement projects.

Conclusion: The findings led to a new set of ‘gold standard’ principles to benefit both staff and patients where shadowing is used as a QI method. These, together with new guidance, will ensure that shadowing is conducted as a team exercise, that all those involved are more robustly prepared and supported and that its purpose as a method to improve patient experience will be better understood.

Key words: quality improvement, patient-centred care, patient shadowing, patient experience, guidelines.

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